I was going to tell you how these forums, and so many others, are so attractive in many ways, luring you in with the promise of intelligent, rational dialogue with others who are interested in the same issues you are.

And how, if you spend too much time on any of them (doesn't matter which, they're ALL the same), you will either become the bully or the bullied. And either way, your faith will waver.

I was going to back all this up with specific examples of threads I've seen or even participated in, to show how all this stuff plays out.

3 comments:

I know the feeling. I'm a member of SoF myself and sometimes I feel that all the doubts of the naysayers can rub off. Still, as I help to keep another busy Christian forum in running order, I'm of the opinion that there can be a great benefit to forums. I guess you simply take the good with the bad.

On a different note. If you are looking to expand your readership and want to do it in a more wallet friendly manner, I would suggest two things. Firstly, blogging more often - I would recommend that a new entry every day is a good figure to aim for - it need only be a few lines. Secondly, and this is not simply a matter of taste but also of user functionality, I would suggest that you consider changing blog theme.

For example, http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/atahualpa offers a theme that is a little more aesthetically pleasing and a little easier to read. The are better out there no doubt.

A few other suggestions have sprung to mind. Drop the need to sign-in to comment. It dissuades people from interacting with your blog. For instance, I had forgotten my gmail password and I couldn't post in your second instalment about the fall and rise of the raving (a)theist.

Change to Wordpress (I found them to be excellent both in term of functionality and customer service) and look into registering your own address. (If I remember correctly they will do it for $10 or $20 for the year). www.curvy-catholic.com sound much better, no?

Billy Squibbs, thanks for your thoughtful comments. As for your suggestion about having a blog on Wordpress - I had one for six months! And it had exactly two regular visitors - me, and my husband. On the other hand, this one gets LOTS of hits (including from great folks like you)! So I think I'll stick with it for a while. (Will try to post more often, though - good suggestion!)

WHEN SOULS HAVE BEEN ILL-TAUGHT about God, the true God will not let them gaze too long upon the Moloch which men have set up to represent Him. He will turn away their minds from that which men call Him, and fill them with some of his own lovely thoughts or works, such as may by degrees prepare the way for a vision of the Father.